CARDIFF CITY played their first fixture at the new stadium (following former legends playing the first context last weekend) and ran out eventual 4-0 winners against non-league Chasetown under the new lights (floodlights are no more).
A literal game of two halves - City fielded near different line ups in both 45 minutes – City scored twice each time. Bothroyd and Chopra netted in the opening period after a tricky start in which the visitors posed most problems then youngsters Josh Magennis and Adam Matthews netted 2nd period as the visitors, mostly using the same men, tired.
The crowd of 5,273 included around 300 from Chasetown, the lowest ever ranked club to make F.A. Cup Third Round. At all City fans know, that day in 2008, the played a Cardiff outfit starting their glorious 2008 run to Wembley and the final. A relationship started as City visited the Staffs club last pre-season and The Scholars were invited to play the first competitive fixture at the new stadium (and also given 600 seats from Ninian Park to help towards a new stand at their ground).
It was surreal walking past Ninian Park to the new ground, entering the ground by scanning a stadium instead of handing over a ticket and then entering the wide sprawling mass that were the walkways under the stand instead of finding a dingy cramped zone. It didn’t feel natural at all to me and to others but I’m sure we’ll get used to it in time. I could have been walking into Coventry, Reading. Stoke away but this was ours. Large sized bars and catering zones (still over-priced but reduced after last week’s furore), facilities are clearly to arrive in the form of tv’s and hopefully shelves to prop our drinks on. However some things don’t change – a visit to the enormous toilets, filled hands full of liquid soap and there’s no water.
Inside the stands, no pillars to obstruct the view, no pitch camber, smarter seats offering more leg room but not necessarily more width and all clinical. Ali’s p.a. apparently worked well in the Grandstand but in the largest Ninian Stand (that’s the pitch-length one closest to Ninian Park equivalent to the Bob Bank) it was as echoey and indecipherable as Ninian’s used to be – some tuning required then.
The big screen hadn’t arrived and the Grandstand had two spotlight Bluebirds at the top – which, no doubt, will be two Cardiff Blues logos when the egg chasers play there. The views are excellent and the atmosphere – even with such a small crowd – was pretty good so I’m sure it’ll be a superb sound and sight when the serious stuff starts and the bigger attendances are inside.
One of the toughest jobs of the night was working out who was who in the City side. The biggest question of the first half being who’s number 4? The blonde yellow lump that looked keen but not quite the part was Slovakian centre half turned midfielder triallist Maros Klimpl. The rest of the side were Marshall, McNaughton-Hudson (capt)-Gyepes-M Kennedy, R McCormack-Klimpl-McPhail-Burke, Bothroyd-Chopra.
I believe the new Puma kit worn is training kit only which was just as well as it was bland while keeper David Marshall must have felt embarrassed in his shocking Day-Glo pink number.
It was a probably a combo of new players, rustiness and just the fact it was first outing and nobody needs to be near peak yet but City were uncomfortable and possibly second best over the opening 25 with poor distribution and a worrying looking defence. Gyepes showed the form that saw him dropped from the side when it mattered at the business end of last season – some quipping how he had inherited Darren Purse’s genes – while Mark Hudson lack of pace would have saw Chopra skin him if he also had to run with an egg and spoon.
The visitors were lively and only two very smart saves from David Marshall – the first brilliant reactions to a close range header, the second tipping over a piledriver – and the visitors would have scored the first goal in any Cardiff City match at the new stadium after Kennedy was comprehensively beaten and a ball across the box tuned home had it not been for an offside flag.
However the first goal honour went to City and Jay Bothroyd scoring a skinhead cut. A smart move too with Mark Kennedy – dazzling when attacking, no so dazzling when defending – and McCormack combing before BOTHROYD’s far post looping header across goal finished it nicely.
The second goal came from the lively MICHAEL CHOPRA – looking in better menace and form – than he did at the end of last season finishing smartly for a deserved goal after he had one disallowed, had hit the inside of the post and caused problems every time he was on the ball.
Chasetown now spent the rest on the game on the back foot and only smart saves from the keeper prevented more before the interval in which Kennedy, Burke, Chopra stood out.
H/T: CITY 2 CHASETOWN 0
After a £3 pint of Brains in the aircraft-hangar sized spaces under the stands, it was time to guess the City player again. The one who caused most questions was guessing our goalkeeper but it turned out to be Peter Enckleman who has transformed into Yul Brynner. For the record, only Ross McCormack played the 2nd half (maybe as he was the only one who looked as if he had added a couple of pounds to his frame over the summer) and the side was Enckleman, Capaldi-Quinn-Gerrard-Ledley, Aaron Morris-Whittingham-Rae-McCormack, Parry-Magennis.
This was one way traffic towards the new Grange End whose occupants had managed to defy attempts to make them sit – often by starting a Stand Up If You Hate Swansea chant – as stewards surrounded them.
The records show that a chuffed and JOSH McGENNIS – goalkeeper at Anfield 2 seasons ago but now converted into a raw but fast and powerful striker – stroked home the third after great build up play and the promising ADAM MATTHEWS, who came on for McCormack just past the hour, smacked home the fourth and was equally delighted.
That it wasn’t more owed much to City’s over-elaborate build up play when, invariably, someone would make an error and some fantastic saves by Chasetown’s keeper who went off to huge applause as he ayatollahed to give the sub keeper a chance. He came top boos until he ayatollahed as well – I say ayatollah, he just glued his hands to his head. However that wasn’t as funny as the guy in the stand who headed back Josh McGennis’ wayward blaster and found himself knocked over by it.
Anthony Gerrard certainly impressed at centre-half and had the pace that was absent in that area first half although it was a stroll for him on the whole. He certainly shouted and organised though but quite funny hearing him shout to players by their shirt numbers as he didn’t know their names. Adam Matthews also stood out as he got forward time and again.
A reasonable work out, a first glimpse of the new stadium but it didn’t feel right to be going there over a month before the season starts on an early July Friday night and it felt less right to walk out looking towards a derelict and now fenced up Ninian Park but we’ll get used to it.. Thankfully, the weather was overcast and dull so at least it felt like the football season in climate.
